Amnesia
by Sammki
Summary: A couple of unexpected visitors literally wash up on the shore of Air Temple Island, and no one is quite sure what to do with them. AU post-season one.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is a story idea I got a few days ago, and I'm actually proud of myself for getting it down so quickly! I do have high hopes for this story, so I hope it gets farther than any of my other ones did.**

**I don't exactly _love_ this chapter, but hey, first chapters are usually rocky, right? It'll get better from here, I promise!**

**Enjoy :)**

A sudden blast of ice cold wind and frost jerks Korra from her sleep. Her blanket folds over on itself, exposing her to the near-arctic air. Korra's desperate grabs for it prove to be in vain as the blanket is blown farther away, bundling up in the corner.

"Spirits," Korra hisses under her breath, already beginning to shiver. The word billows out into a cloud near her mouth. With a glare at the window, which had been thrown open by the wind, Korra wraps her arms around herself to hold in the heat and swings her feet to the ground, standing and dragging her feet to the window. A few drops of mist from the bay hit her face, and the sound of waves hitting the shore is almost deafening.

Spreading her arms wide, Korra grasps the shutters and is ready to slam them shut before she notices something moving down on the beach. A dark figure, so small Korra can hardly see it from this distance, only visible by the faint light of the moon. Korra rubs what's left of the sleep from her eyes, but the figure remains. At first, she thinks it must be one of the White Lotus sentries; but what would one of them be doing out there alone, on a night like this?

Korra practically slams the window closed, muffling the sound of the waves and blocking the wind. She cringes at the loud _bang_ the shutters make, hoping she didn't wake anyone up. After a few moments of near-silence and hearing nothing from anywhere in the temple, Korra sighs and steps away from the window, moving to collect her blanket from the corner. Wrapping herself tightly and warmly, she falls back on the bed, closes her eyes, and tries to push the image of the lone figure out of her mind.

It only takes a few minutes for curiosity to take over. Korra reluctantly pushes herself upwards into a sitting position, knowing she won't get back to sleep anytime soon. She turns and stands again, with the blanket still wrapped tightly around her shoulders, and this time makes her way to the door, picking up her boots on the way out. Naga, curled up tightly on the other side of the room, raises her head in confusion.

"Don't worry, girl," Korra reassures the polar bear dog, crossing the room to pet her on the head affectionately. "I won't be gone long." Naga does not seem pleased at her master's decision for a late-night walk—Korra assumes it must be around two A.M.—but she lays her head down again, huffing in annoyance. Her eyes follow Korra as the Avatar slips out through the door silently.

Korra doesn't put her boots on until she's already outside, trying her best to stay silent. The ground is colder than she anticipated, and she almost barks out a curse before her hand flies to her mouth to quiet herself. When the boots are on, Korra scans the immediate vicinity for any sentries roaming around, but sees no one. She sticks close to the wall and skirts around behind the bushes until she reaches the ground below her window. The figure has moved, but it's still on the beach. Something is being dragged behind it.

Korra starts walking more quickly in the figure's direction, now even more curious than before. As she gets closer, however, she notices that the figure has stopped moving. She moves closer, and the confusion grows: the figure is a man, but she can't recognize him, especially from this distance. What she can notice is that he's _staring right at her._

"Hello?" Korra calls out cautiously. She doubts he can hear her over the wind and waves, but it's worth a shot. The man doesn't move. Figures. Korra keeps moving closer.

A new sensation hits her. The wind is blowing hard enough, but Korra's almost surprised she didn't pick it up quicker. The smell of charred hair, burned flesh, _burning_ flesh fills the air, and Korra has to pause and recompose herself for a moment to keep from vomiting. An underlying metallic scent also hits her: blood. "Do you need any help?" she tries again, her voice wavering slightly. Opening her mouth probably wasn't the best idea; the smells nearly make her choke.

The man responds by collapsing to the ground.

"Shit." Korra doesn't hesitate anymore. She breaks into a run, throwing herself against the wind as though her life depended on it. Maybe his did. She almost loses her blanket in the dash. Korra reaches the man quicker than she thought she would, and skids painfully on the hard, sand-dusted ground in a clumsy attempt to stop. Knees stinging, Korra kneels down next to the man, momentarily unsure of what to do. His bloodshot eyes are wide and terrified, the icy-blue chips darting blindly back and forth frantically, desperately trying to find something to hold on to. Korra, unsure of what exactly to do in a situation like this, places two fingers on his wrist, checking his pulse. The man's eyes go even wider, and for a moment Korra thinks they might pop out of his head. A low-pitched whine escapes his lips. His pulse is erratic.

"Uh…" Korra stammers. She glances up and skims her eyes over the surrounding area, and notices what the man had been pulling behind him—in this condition, she's surprised he made it as far inland as he did. The other dark shape—_another man, Spirits_—lays a few feet away, a trail of fresh blood behind him. Korra shoots another glance down at the first man, then darts over to his companion. The second man is in far worse condition, if that's even possible. His right arm looks the worst, a mangled lump of blood, bone, and skin, and Korra actually does retch at the sight of it. Wiping her mouth with one corner of the blanket, Korra reaches down and feels his neck for a pulse. For a moment she doesn't feel anything, and panic starts to rise, before she feels the slightest of flutters beneath her fingertips, and she breathes a sigh of relief. He's still unconscious, though.

A pained moan sounds behind her, and Korra jerks out of her momentary relaxation. She spins around and looks at the first man, and although he hasn't moved, he seems to be panicking. His breath hitches repeatedly, his chest heaving up and down. Korra scrambles ungracefully back to his side and peers into his eyes. "Hey, hey," she stumbles over her words, "Look at me. It's gonna be all right." Korra has no idea if he understands what she's saying, or if he can even hear her. Gingerly, carefully, she lifts his head and rests it on her lap. The man's eyes pinch shut for a moment, trying to cope with the pain, before they open again. Korra puts one hand on his cheek and tilts his head toward her. "Look at me."

He does. At that moment, their eyes meet, cerulean and ice. She can tell that the man is struggling to stay awake, holding on to what little consciousness he has left. With one heavy hand he grasps the blanket around Korra's shoulders, making her pitch forward, caught off guard by the surprisingly quick movement. She straightens herself out and stares into the man's eyes, while he searches hers. For a brief moment, Korra thinks she sees something like recognition flash across his face, before his eyes flutter shut and his hand falls from its grasp. Korra freaks out for a bit, thinking she'd lost him, before she sees his chest rising and falling unsteadily. She lets out a shaky breath and sits back on her heels, laying the man's head back on the ground.

What now?

Korra certainly can't leave them here. They'd die if she left them alone. She's afraid that, if she tries to carry or drag them back to the temple, she'd injure them more than they are now. The wind and water are still almost deafening, so calling back to the temple would be pointless. She tries to shift the two men close together, so they won't freeze to death, then lays her blanket over them, tucking it beneath them to keep it from blowing it away. With one last glance at their too-still forms, Korra takes off back to the temple, sprinting faster than she had on the way out. Running with the wind is much easier than running against it.

"Tenzin!" Korra shouts the moment she bursts through the doors and runs down the halls, trying to alert the airbender. "Tenzin, wake up! _Now!_" It takes too long to get to his room, practically body-slamming the door open. Tenzin is wide awake as Korra crashes to the floor, sitting up and staring wide-eyed at the Avatar's sprawled form. Pema is up a moment later, just as confused as her husband.

"Korra?" Tenzin asks, voice gruff from sleep. He wipes a hand over his face. "What on earth are you doing up at this hour?"

"Tenzin, I need help," Korra rushes. "I woke up because the wind blew my window open and when I got up to close it I saw a thing down on the beach so I went to see what it was and it was a _man_ and—"

"Korra, calm down." Tenzin's voice is much calmer than Korra's, but it does nothing to ease her panic. "What happened?"

"There are _two men_ on the beach, and they're _dying._ There's no time to explain!" Korra is practically out the door before she's done talking, trying to get back to the beach.

Tenzin catches her before she can leave. "Pema, wake the healers. Tell them to prepare for some patients." Pema nods, and he turns back to Korra. "Show me where."

Korra does. She leads him down to the beach, dashing much faster than him but not bothering to check if he's keeping up. She slides to a halt less clumsily than last time, kneeling down beside the men and leaning over them, removing the now-bloodstained blanket and looking. Tenzin appears a moment later, crouching down across from Korra and inspecting what he could see of the burns. Although he appears calm and collected, Korra notices that his face has a light green tinge to it.

"We need to get them to the temple," Tenzin decides at last. He slides his arms underneath the man Korra had communicated with, and lifts him up into the air. "Let's go."

Korra repeats his action with the other man, the task being slightly easier because of his smaller figure. She isn't too sure what she should do with the man's mangled arm, but when she notices Tenzin already pacing away, she gives up, drapes it across the man's stomach, and stumbles after the airbender.

The healers have already cleared out and set up a room by the time Tenzin and Korra return. Korra can see their eyes widen at the extent of the injuries and their faces change at the smell. Pema even excuses herself and disappears into the bathroom.

"Lay them down here," one of the healers instructs, indicating to two empty, clean beds. Tenzin follows the order immediately, but Korra winces at the pained moan that escapes the still-unconscious man's lips. Her own movements are a bit more awkward due to the man's greater size, but a couple of healers are at her side in an instant, lowering the man down gently but quickly onto the bed. Their task done, Tenzin and Korra are ushered from the room.

"What do we do now?" Korra asks her mentor.

Tenzin sighs heavily. "We wait." He turns to walk away. "Go back to sleep, Korra," he orders. "We can check on them in the morning." With that, he disappears down the hall. Korra sniffs in displeasure and crosses her arms; she knows she won't be sleeping at all for the rest of the night—at least, not easily—but she still trudges back to her room quietly.

Naga is waiting for her when she opens the door, her tail wagging with pleasure at having her master back. Korra can see that the polar bear dog is uneasy; she can probably smell the burns from here. Korra crosses the room and pets Naga on the head. "It'll be okay, girl," she tells her, more to reassure herself than anything. "They'll pull through." _I hope._ She doesn't allow herself to continue thinking, but instead takes her boots off, throws herself on her bed and tries to get some sleep.

* * *

Korra wakes shivering the next morning. She curls more tightly in on herself and blindly grasps for her blanket, but all her hand meets is air. Confused, she opens her eyes to the pale dawn light filling the temple and sits up, looking for her blanket. Naga had moved from the other side of the room and come to rest at the foot of Korra's bed, as though keeping watch, but the polar bear dog doesn't appear awake at the moment. Not seeing the blanket anywhere nearby, Korra flops back down to the bed, ready to go back to sleep.

Then she remembers.

She bolts upright into a sitting position again, this time more fully awake. Naga's head darts up at the sudden movement, alert, but she relaxes when she notices Korra and her tail starts to wag lazily, thumping loudly on the floor. Korra hesitantly sniffs the air; the strong scent of medicine and ointments wafts in from her open door, but the smell of burned skin is gone. She swings her feet off the bed and onto the floor, flinching slightly at the cold, and stands and stretches. With a now-looser body, Korra is out the door before Naga can rise from her position.

The door to the room the men are in is closed firmly, and Korra can hear the activity inside. The healers must have stayed up all night working on their new patients. Korra puts her back to the wall across from the door and slides down into a sitting positon. She stays like that for a while, chin resting on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, and listening to the hustle through the door.

"I'm surprised you haven't been here longer," Korra hears someone say after a few minutes of silence. She raises her head to see Tenzin strolling down the hall in her direction, but she doesn't rise to meet him. He doesn't ask her to, but instead comes to a halt next to her and sits down to her right. "You slept late. I thought you'd be here at sunrise."

Korra glances at him. "Do you know how they're doing?" she asks quietly.

"They're alive. Barely. Last I was informed, they were sleeping." Korra's shoulders slump with the news and she rests her chin on her knees again. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I found them on the beach last night, one of them dragging the other behind him. He collapsed and passed out, and I went to get you guys. I don't know how they got here—the ferry doesn't run that late." Korra sighs heavily. "I don't know how they got the burns, either."

Tenzin places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Korra. You did well. We'll just have to find out when they wake up." He stresses the word _when._ Korra hopes he's right, but she doesn't respond. Tenzin takes her silence as agreement, huffs tiredly, and rises. "They'll be fine," he reaffirms, then turns back down the hall, disappearing from Korra's sight.

Korra watches him go, then stands to follow him.

* * *

"Miss Avatar?"

Korra pauses from her airbending training for a moment, giving the woman a look. "Yes, Lo? I'm busy."

"My apologies," Lo hurries. "I came to inform you that, in the three weeks they've been here, I believe we've healed the burns enough for someone to recognize the men."

Immediately Korra perks up. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She takes off in a run, leaving Jinora—her training partner—and Lo to catch up. Korra glances over her shoulder once and laughs at their confused expressions before she slams through the door of the temple.

"…but that's not possible," Korra overhears as she reaches the door to the room. The voice sounds like Tenzin's. "That's simply not possible!" The disbelief and confusion in is voice puts Korra on edge. She steps up behind her mentor and taps him on the shoulder.

"What's going on?" she asks him when he turns to face her, her voice sounding concerned. "Is something wrong with them?"

Tenzin hesitates. "Not _with_ them," he responds evasively.

"What happened?" Korra demands again.

"See for yourself," Tenzin tells her, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter the room. Korra obliges.

Korra sees right away what has Tenzin so spooked. The smaller man's burns have healed quite well, and although the scars left have made his skin rough and uneven, there is still the soft, brown shade of Water Tribe skin. His brown hair is not as long as it used to be, having been mostly burned off then trimmed, but it still reaches to the tops of his ears. His facial structure, on the other hand, is recognizable upon a single glance. How did no one notice this before?

"Tarrlok." The word is sharp and sour on Korra's tongue. She hates it.

"Tarrlok's been officially declared dead for almost a month," Tenzin says, still trying to grasp the reality of the situation.

"Well, apparently, he's not," Korra spits. Her eyes are reluctant to leave Tarrlok, but she finds her gaze being dragged over to his companion. Now that she knows what she's looking for, the realization hits her like a ton of bricks. No wonder he recognized her on the beach. "But then, that means…" Korra trails off, unwilling or unable to finish that thought.

Tenzin denies it immediately. "No," he snaps sharply. "There's no way. It's not possible."

Korra stares at him. "Tarrlok survived, somehow. It's not just _possible._ It's _probable._" She glances back to the other man, then moves to the side of his bed, running her fingers delicately along his jawline. There's no way she can be wrong about this. "Amon survived, too."

* * *

No one really knows what to do in this situation. Having both the former Equalist leader _and_ a rogue ex-councilman unconscious and vulnerable on the island sounds like a _terrible_ idea, and everyone knows it. But the men aren't well enough to be moved and no one has the courage or willpower to move them, so everything just falls back into order. Korra continues her training, Tenzin continues his teaching, the healers continue their healing. Life does not change. Three more weeks go by and everything is the same.

Until it isn't.

Korra strolls by the room one morning on her way to breakfast when she hears more commotion than usual inside. At first, she passes it off as the healers working a little harder, and continues to walk on, but she comes to a halt when something crashes. "What the hell?" Korra mutters as she kicks the door open and lands in a fighting stance.

It's utter chaos. Bottles have been broken, medical supplies have been strewn about, and various healers are already nursing wounds. Korra glances at Tarrlok—sound asleep, just like always. The healers who aren't injured are trying to restrain their _other_ patient.

Amon is awake, and he is _pissed._

**AN: So, what do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for the reviews and stuff, guys! I'm loving that someone is interested in this! This chapter's a little shorter than the last one, but I hope it's not too bad.**

**Enjoy :)**

Even though Amon is no longer thrashing around, Korra can see the damage he's already done to himself and his surroundings. Fresh blood leaks through otherwise clean bandages. His chest heaves in panic and his eyes dart around in confusion, but he's too tired to move otherwise. None of the healers are willing to calm him down before he hurts himself any more.

Instead, Korra is ultimately the one to step forward to his bedside. "Amon?" she tries cautiously. He doesn't respond to his name, but his breathing manages to pick up even more than before. His fingers rake across the bed sheets, scrambling to get away. More blood seeps through the bandages, and Korra fights to stay calm as she grabs his wrists gently but firmly to keep him somewhat still. "Quit it, asshole, we're trying to help." Her reassurance only manages to freak him out even more, so Korra flat out slaps him. _"Noatak!"_

He finally stills, staring at Korra through wide eyes. His brow furrows in confusion as he searches her face curiously. His mouth begins to open and close, and a low mix of a whine and a moan escapes his lips. Amon is trying to speak.

"Avatar Korra," one of the healers attempts to intervene at last, "I don't think—"

Korra shushes him and leans closer to Amon. "What is it, Noatak?" she asks, her voice gentler than she intended. She uses his given name because it seems to calm him down. "What are you trying to say?" She glances up a bit. "Are you looking for Tarrlok? Your brother's fine. He's right over there." Korra nods in the direction of Tarrlok's bed. "See? He's getting better. You're both safe. You're gonna be fine."

Amon's head falls to the side as he looks at Tarrlok's sleeping form. His mouth struggles to form words again, but this time the sound is coherent. "…Tarrlok?" The word is followed by a massive bout of coughing. Korra jerks back when she sees drops of scarlet on the white pillow and sheets.

Korra backs away. "I—I should be going…" she stammers, stumbling a bit over a piece of broken glass. It cuts her left foot, and she hisses in pain.

Before she can get too far away, Amon's hand flies up and grips her shoulder. Even as frail as he is, his grip is too tight to fight from and Korra is surprised and almost scared at how suspicious and downright _murderous_ his gaze is. Their eyes meet, and he tries to speak again. "How… do you know… my name?" There are heavy pauses between his words, and the moment they've been said Amon starts hacking again. Before she can respond, Korra is ushered from the bedside and out the room. The door is slammed in her face before she can protest.

It doesn't matter. Korra's too stunned and confused to respond. Instead, she turns and continues her walk to the dining room.

* * *

"Korra, your foot!" Pema exclaims as Korra enters the dining room. "What happened?"

"What?" Korra asks dumbly, not really paying attention. She lifts her left foot and inspects it. "Oh, that. Amon woke up this morning and had a bit of a panic attack. I had to calm him down and must've cut my foot on some of the broken glass."

"Amon's awake?" Tenzin enquires from his place at the table.

Korra shrugs. "Yeah. At least, he was when I walked by. Don't know if he still is." She sits down at her own seat, allowing Pema to clean and wrap her foot while muttering something about teenagers. "He was acting weird," Korra continues. "And not his usual weird. Different."

"Did he try to harm you?"

Korra shakes her head. "No. He's just… different."

"He _has_ been asleep for six weeks," Pema reminds them. "He's bound to be a little off." Korra winces a bit as Pema pulls a piece of glass from her foot. "Sorry, dear."

"It's okay," Korra tells her. "He didn't even respond to his own name," she continues. "I had to call him _Noatak_ to get any kind of positive reaction from him."

"Is that so?" Tenzin seems to be drifting off, paying less and less attention to the conversation. Korra can tell he's thinking.

Pema finishes the bandages on Korra's foot. "Could you help me set the table, please, Korra?" she asks.

Korra stands, favoring her injured foot slightly. "I think I can manage." She limps off after Pema and follows her into the kitchen.

By the time they return, Jinora and Ikki have both appeared and taken their respective seats at the table. Meelo is nowhere to be seen. Jinora stands when her mother and Korra appear in the doorway, taking the dishes from Pema and carrying them to the table. Pema thanks her daughter and turns back into the kitchen to bring out more food. Korra puts her plates on the table and sits again. "Hey, where's Meelo?" she asks Ikki.

"I dunno," Ikki rattles. "We were playing hide-and-seek together and I was it when Jinora came to get us for breakfast so I came here right away but I didn't find him."

Korra snorts in laughter. "You _lost_ your brother?" Ikki laughs with her, loud and energetic. Jinora glances at them and rolls her eyes, but Korra can see she's trying to hold back a smile.

"Ikki," Jinora says after the two girls calm down, "you should go find Meelo. He'll stay hidden all day if no one comes looking for him, and you know that if he misses breakfast he's going to throw a fit."

Ikki sulks at the order. _"Fine,"_ she concedes, crossing her arms stubbornly. "If anyone touches my breakfast I _will_ bite their hands for it." She spins over-dramatically and flaunts out the door. Before she is even gone, Jinora reaches over and grabs a roll from Ikki's plate and sneaks it onto her own. When Korra raises an eyebrow at her, she simply puts one finger to her lips. Korra snickers and nods, saying nothing. Pema returns with the remaining dishes, and Jinora and Korra stand to help her set them on the table. Somewhere in another part of the temple, Korra can hear Ikki screaming _Meelo! Time for breakfast! Get your lazy butt out here or we're eating your food!_ Korra can't help but smirk.

For a moment, the four of them simply sit there in silence, listening to Ikki's calls get more and more annoyed. When they stop, Korra wonders if Ikki just got to a place in the temple too far away for them to hear, before she can hear the echo of rapid footfalls in the hallway. Ikki is the first to arrive, followed closely by Meelo. The five-year-old is shouting something about Ikki forgetting him and how everyone should wait for him because he's _oh so important._ Korra actually tries to hold back a smile at the last one. It doesn't work.

When everyone is seated, Tenzin remains silent. Korra stares at him—usually Tenzin will start prayer once everyone is seated and quiet, but today he seems a little distracted. His eyes are unfocused, and he's staring out into space. "Tenzin?" Pema tries gently, reaching over with one hand to touch her husband's arm. Tenzin blinks once, twice, three times before he meets Pema's eyes. "It's time for prayer, dear."

"Yes… of course." Although he still seems distracted, Tenzin takes Pema's hand in his own, then reaches out his other hand to Korra, who takes it and offers hers in turn to Jinora. As they all join hands, Tenzin begins their prayer.

When the prayer is done and everyone is eating, Jinora is the first to break the silence. "So, Korra, how long has our guest been awake?"

"Hmm?" Korra mumbles through a mouthful of food. She swallows thickly and almost painfully. "Don't know. I just noticed this morning, but—"

"Amon's _awake?_" Ikki gasps. "Oh my gosh! How are we gonna make him pay for what he's done? Is he gonna go to prison, daddy? I think he should go to prison. I think he should go to prison for a long, long, long, long, _long_—"

"He should be _begging_ us not to throw him in a cell and leave him to rot!" Meelo interjects too loudly.

"Meelo!" Pema scolds sharply.

"It's not up to us to decide his punishment," Tenzin counters calmly. "That's up to the police to decide."

Ikki sniffs in contempt and crosses her arms, sulking. "That's not fair. He hurt lots of people, he _deserves_ to be in jail."

"We don't decide who deserves to be in jail, Ikki," Tenzin repeats.

"What do _you_ think, Korra?" Ikki asks, turning to the Avatar.

Korra doesn't hesitate. "I think he should get what's coming to him. No more, no less." Of course, she wouldn't complain if he got more, but under Tenzin's stare, Korra doesn't feel obliged to say it out loud. The six of them go back to their meals, the discussion over and no one wishing to continue it. Korra can tell Ikki still isn't happy with any of it. The rest of their meal is eaten in silence.

At least, what Korra sees of it. Not long after the discussion ends, a voice sounds from the door. "Avatar Korra?"

Korra glances up from the roll she's eating. "Lo? We're kind of eating right now."

Lo ducks her head slightly, looking guilty. "Your presence has been requested."

No one at the table moves. Everyone knows exactly who called for her. "Oh," Korra responds, slightly dumbstruck. "Well… tell him I'll be right there?" The sentence sounds more like a question than a statement. Lo nods and quickly departs from the room, leaving Korra to gather a couple more rolls and her glass of water before she follows the healer.

* * *

Amon's pillows have been adjusted since earlier so that he can sit up but still have support. He is doing so now, leaning back heavily into the pillows yet staring Korra right in the eye as she steps through the door. In his left hand he holds a cup that Korra assumes must be filled with water, and a straw poking out the top. His bandages have been replaced, and Korra notices how out of place they look against his tan-and-reddish blotched skin. His icy blue eyes are cold and calculating, but the rest of his face is blank. Tarrlok is still out cold.

"Korra," Amon greets her. This time, the word is not followed by a violent fit of hacking, for which Korra is pleased.

"Amon," she responds, her voice neutral. He doesn't react, just takes a sip of his water, so Korra moves forward to sit on the chair to the right of his bed. As she sits, she takes a large bite out of one of the rolls and offers another one to Amon. He waves a couple fingers, a sign of declining. She simply shrugs. "So you wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes," the man confirms. "Questions, mostly."

Korra leans back in her chair, pulling her bare feet up to the edge of the seat. "Ask away."

"Where am I?"

At first, Korra is surprised by the question; surely he should recognize Air Temple Island? It was one of the places the Equalists had targeted in their attack, after all. He'd even kept Tarrlok here as prisoner. "You're on Air Temple Island," she answers. "In the medical wing. We brought you here when you showed up on the beach."

Amon nods slightly at the answer. "What is Tarrlok doing here?"

"He was with you when you got here."

"What happened to his arm?"

"It had to be amputated. The prosthetic hasn't been made yet."

"How long have I been here?"

"Six weeks." The questions are basic. Korra can see the gears working in his mind.

He hesitates briefly. "Why do you call me Amon?"

_That_ question takes Korra by surprise. At first, she can't tell if it's supposed to be a trick question—she wouldn't put it past Amon to try and trick her so mundanely. But as she examines his face, she can see that he looks genuinely curious. Strange. "It's your name. Everyone knows that."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it is _not._"

"Yes, it _is._"

"Korra, I think I should know my own name."

Korra snorts in amusement. "Fine. What's your name?"

"My name is Noatak."

The answer is so simple, Korra has no idea why she wasn't expecting it. Amon is looking at her expectantly, willing her to respond. "All right," she humors him. "Noatak. Do you want me to call you that from now on?"

"Yes."

She can work with this. She's the _Avatar_, for Spirits' sake! Korra takes a deep breath. "Anything else you think I should know before we continue?"

Amon—_Noatak_—simply responds with another question. "How old are you?"

Korra blinks, but tries not to let the shock faze her. "Seventeen."

Noatak drags his eyes away from her, instead focusing on Tarrlok. His eyes seem haunted. "That's Tarrlok?"

"Uh-huh," Korra confirms. Now he looks _really_ strange. "What's wrong now?"

His brow furrows slightly in confusion. "I don't remember Tarrlok being as old as he looks." Noatak looks back at Korra. "I haven't seen him for _years._"

_Now_ Korra is thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about, dumbass? You saw him last month. And plenty before that." She pauses for a moment. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Noatak pauses to think. He doesn't respond immediately. "I think… the last thing that I remember is… holding off a group of men. We were… fighting. In an alleyway. They brought me down… But they're not here, right? They're not working with you."

"No, they're not here. Noatak, how old were you when this attack happened?" She needs to find out how much he's missing.

"I believe I was twenty-nine."

"And how old would you be now?"

Noatak does some quick mental math, and Korra watches his eyes move as he works. As time draws out, his face slowly changes from confusion to horror, and when he looks back at Korra, his face looks so different from what she's used to that she hardly recognizes him. "Forty, if I'm correct."

* * *

"Eleven years," Korra rants when she returns to the dining room "Eleven damn years are _gone,_ just like that!" Fire starts sparking from her clenched fists as her frustration rises.

"_Language,_ Korra," Tenzin lectures as he rises to meet her. He ushers her back out into the hallway and closes the door behind him. "What happened?"

Korra glares at him. "He doesn't remember _anything!_ He knows nothing about Amon! He apparently hasn't seen Tarrlok in years! He still thinks he's _twenty-nine!_"

"Korra, calm down," Tenzin orders. "Getting worked up about it won't make anything better." Korra glowers at him, but takes a shuddering breath anyways, still seething. "The amnesia is most likely temporary; it will wear off if we give it time."

"Tenzin, what will happen if he doesn't get better?" Korra snaps. "If he doesn't get his memory back, what then? There can't exactly be a fair trial if the accused can't remember a damn thing about the crimes he's committed!"

Tenzin looks a little shocked by her sudden outburst. "I'm surprised that _you,_ of all people, want _Amon_ to have a 'fair trial'."

"Shut up. You know what I mean. If he can't remember, he'll believe he's perfectly innocent. You know how deceiving Amon can be—if he wants someone to believe something, they'll believe it. He'll get off with a slap on the wrist! If even that!" Korra slams her fist into the wall. Cracks spread from the impact, and Korra recoils, glancing guiltily at Tenzin. "Sorry about that."

Tenzin rubs his face with one hand. "There _is_ a healing process rumored to restore memories—"

"We have to use it!" Korra interrupts, excited at the idea.

"—_but_ Amon is still too weak for us to try without injuring him more. It's a very complicated and difficult process, and it can be painful. Trying to use it now could simply worsen the problem, or even damage his brain for good. We'd be stuck with him even longer, maybe indefinitely. Do you really want to risk that?"

Korra sighs dejectedly. "No, not really," she admits. "And who knows—maybe Tarrlok will still have his memories; he could help us out." Even as Korra speaks, she can hear and the doubt creeping into her voice, feeling it pool in her gut. If Noatak can't remember anything for the past _eleven_ years, and he's the brother who is healing the best, Tarrlok can't be much better memory-wise. He's probably even worse. The look on Tenzin's face alerts Korra that the airbending master has the same misgivings as she does, but he doesn't voice his out loud. Korra opts to keep herself silent as well.

"All we can do is be patient," Tenzin tells her. His voice sounds downcast. "We'll wait and see how it all turns out."

"Yeah," Korra mumbles under her breath. "Wait and see." She doesn't like waiting, and she doesn't like keeping _war criminals_ in their home. Her shoulders slump.

Tenzin rests a hand on her shoulder. "Come on," he encourages, opening the door to the dining room again. "You need to finish your breakfast." Korra allows herself to smile a bit at his concern, and leads the way to the table. Pema and the children have already finished eating, and their places at the table have been cleared.

Jinora is the only one who has lingered behind. "You up for some airbending practice later today, Korra?" she asks brightly, noticing Korra's sour mood. The Avatar nods in agreement, and with a smile Jinora strolls from the room. The food is slightly cold when Korra takes a bite, but she doesn't really care. With a little firebending, she heats the food slightly and continues to eat, trying to get Amon—Noatak—out of her mind. It doesn't work.

* * *

Tarrlok wakes up later that week.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for no update yesterday! I had absolutely _no_ inspiration, and got to a point where I knew what would happen about three sentences later, I just couldn't come up with those three sentences. I got about halfway through this chapter and couldn't go any farther. I do like this chapter, though. Lots of fluff 'n stuff.**

**Enjoy :)**

At first, Tarrlok completely freaks out when he notices his surroundings. He freaks out even more at his significant lack of a right arm. He clips a nurse in the jaw and another in the nose before he's put under again. When he wakes up, he's considerably calmer, yet still justly nervous.

Tarrlok ends up remembering even _less_ than Noatak. While he still seems to know at least who Korra is, and that they had met before, it's apparently only flashes from the past couple of months, when they had worked together on the task force and had still been on semi-good terms. The way he looks at her seems almost like he thinks they're friends. The last thing he clearly remembers is the night Noatak disappeared, twenty-six years ago. Jinora and Pema are sympathetic and find the sentiment heartwarming. Meelo and Ikki find their family's actions disgusting. Tenzin acts like he couldn't care less. Korra just wonders what she did to deserve _two_ amnesiac terrorists.

* * *

"What happened to your foot?"

Damn Tenzin. Korra's going to make him pay for this. Her airbending teacher seems to think it's a _good idea_ to have Korra entertain Noatak for a few days, trying to see if she can jog his memories at all. So far? Nothing. Once Noatak was one hundred percent convinced that the Air Acolytes weren't trying to poison him or sneak some information from him, he became quite open to everyday conversation. No one except Tarrlok and Korra—on Tenzin's orders—would speak to him. To Korra's surprise, he ends up asking the most _mundane_ questions, it's almost driving her crazy.

She doesn't answer right away. "Why do you call me _Korra?_" she asks instead.

"That _is_ your name, if I'm not mistaken."

"You've never called me _Korra_ before."

"We've never met each other before. What else am I to call you?" Without waiting for an answer, he repeats, "What happened to your foot?"

"You used to call me _Avatar._" Korra fiddles with the bandage on her injured foot. "Thanks to your little episode when you woke up, I cut it on a piece of glass. You're lucky you're still bedridden; if you weren't, I'd be sure to get retribution for it."

"Aw," Noatak fake whines. He actually manages to sound pathetic; Korra gives him points for being able to make such an intimidating voice sound _pathetic._ "And here I had thought you would be happy to have something to remember me by when I'm gone. I thought we were friends."

Korra swears she can hear Tarrlok's wicked grin, and secretly vows to slap him for it when he won't fold like paper on impact. She sends him a glare to make sure he knows. He smirks back at her smugly. Korra responds with a sigh.

Eventually.

* * *

"You need to keep your movements fluid and connected," Jinora reminds Korra. The two girls are practicing their airbending together while Tenzin is teaching a lesson with Ikki and Meelo. At first, Korra was glad to be having a lesson with just Jinora today. The problem is that the girl is so damn _calm,_ it's nearly impossible for Korra to do the same.

Korra lets out a groan of frustration. "I'm trying!" she snaps at Jinora. "I'm still pretty new at this, so cut me some slack!"

Jinora holds her hands up in surrender, only achieving to infuriate Korra even more. "All right, you win. Sorry." She readjusts her stance, preparing for another round. "You ready to keep practicing, or do you want to take a break for a little while?"

"No, let's keep going," Korra responds, getting into position herself. "We don't get anything done if we just stand around here all day. Her hands instinctively clench into fists, and Jinora gives her a disapproving look but doesn't correct her. Korra is the one who makes the first move, punching the air and sending a whirl of wind at Jinora, but by the time the attack reaches its target, Jinora has already disappeared. Korra spins around quickly, searching for the young airbender, and spotting her a moment too late. Before she can raise her arms in defense, Korra has already been knocked off her feet by Jinora's counter attack. She lands heavily on her back, groaning in pain.

Jinora giggles. "Stay light on your feet," she corrects the Avatar. "Maybe you could take your heavy boots off? It might help you move easier if you didn't have them weighing you down." Korra snorts in contempt but complies with the suggestion, sitting up and shucking off her boots while mumbling about _bossy kids._ "And don't be so aggressive with your movements," Jinora continues as Korra pushes herself up off the ground again. "You need to be more relaxed; airbending is not like firebending or earthbending."

"I believe Tenzin's already given me this lecture," Korra sighs. "It doesn't make any difference."

"Well, maybe if you actually _followed_ his advice, you wouldn't have to be listening to it from someone seven years younger than you."

The amount of snark in Jinora's voice catches Korra off guard. "Oh, getting sassy now, are we?" she taunts. "I sense a challenge."

Jinora grins slyly. "Name your terms."

"Whoever loses this round has to…" Korra trails off, thinking. What would be a perfect punishment for the young airbender? Hardly anything fazes Jinora. "…has to spend the rest of the day catering to Ikki and Meelo."

Jinora laughs. "You're on."

Korra gets into her normal starting position, smirking at Jinora. The girl makes a face back at her. Korra doesn't think she's ever seen Jinora act as immaturely as she is right now. She loves it.

This time around, Jinora is the one that moves first. The movement is almost too quick for Korra to react, but now that she's shed her big, clunky boots and is going barefoot, she's able to dodge the gust rather quickly. On the rebound, Korra spins and bends a circle of wind around her. As Jinora launches herself into the air, Korra calls out, "Thanks for suggesting going barefoot! It makes training _so_ much easier!"

Before Jinora lands, she throws out a blast of air. It hits Korra square in the shoulder, knocking her off balance but failing to knock her to the ground. Jinora lands gracefully on two feet as Korra regains her stance. "Harder than you thought it would be, hm, Avatar?" Jinora teases. She knows that calling Korra _Avatar_ like that only helps to piss her off.

"Hard?" Korra repeats. "Please! This is child's play!"

Jinora straightens up. "Well, if this is too easy, let me know. If I'm just wasting your time and boring you, maybe we should find you a new sparring partner. You should invite those friends of yours to come over; we haven't seen them in almost two months. I'm sure they'd love to train with you."

"Uh, no, thank you," Korra objects bluntly. "I would rather have them as far away from here as possible while we have a couple of _war criminals_ living here."

Jinora doesn't respond. Her eyes fix on something over Korra's shoulder, and she looks confused. Korra turns and scans the area, and it doesn't take long for her to see what caught Jinora's attention. Two shapes are moving slowly down the path to the training area. Korra knows exactly who they are.

"Spirits," Korra mutters, taking off in a run in their direction. She raises her voice sharply. "What the hell are you two doing out here?!" she snaps, glaring at them.

"Tarrlok wanted to take a walk on the shore," Noatak responds simply. Tarrlok's good arm is draped over his shoulder for support.

Tarrlok snorts. "It's too stuffy in the temple. I needed some fresh air."

Korra slides to a halt in front of them. "You've both only been awake for a week! Just look at you—you're hardly in shape for a walk, let alone _on your own._ Back inside, both of you." Korra hears footsteps behind her and turns to see Jinora. "Jinora, help me get them back to their rooms."

"No."

Korra spins back around and glares at Noatak, her irritation spiking. _"What_ did you say?"

"I said no," he replies simply. "We're not going back inside until we're ready to go." He straightens his back and squares his shoulders as best he can while still supporting Tarrlok, and stares down at Korra. Not glaring, simply looking. Despite the almost sickly pale skin, shaggy hair, blotchy burns, ragged scars, and overall unkempt appearance, it reminds Korra too much of Amon. He looks nothing like the former war figurehead, and if she didn't know any better, Korra would have said that they weren't the same person—but she does know better. Images flash in her head—the ambush at Aang Memorial Island, the attack at the Pro-Bending Arena, being kidnapped by Tarrlok, the Battle for Republic City, the airbenders almost losing their bending, Korra _actually_ losing her bending—and it's all too overwhelming.

To her humiliation, Korra is the first to look away. "You're not gonna make this easy for me, are you?"

Noatak relaxes slightly, looking oddly satisfied. "Do you expect any different from me?" Korra has to admit that she doesn't.

"Would you like to stay and watch us practice?" Jinora offers kindly, her voice sounding a little stiff. Korra shoots her a glare. "I'm sure a bit of criticism would do us both some good. What do you say?"

Noatak seems slightly hesitant, but Tarrlok speaks before his brother. "I'd like that. There's hardly anything interesting to do in that stupid room. Come on, Noa; a little entertainment never killed anyone, has it?" Noatak looks annoyed at the use of the nickname, and Korra can still see that he doesn't really want to watch them, but he ends up complying. He shoots Korra a look as cynical as the one Korra usually gives him—one thing they agree on, then. It's the only time it'll ever happen.

The older brother sighs. "Shall we begin, then?" he asks snidely. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can finish." Korra considers reminding him that _we_ aren't doing anything—she and Jinora are the ones that will be training. Noatak and Tarrlok are just their uninvited and unwanted audience. She decides not to bring it up because she doesn't feel like arguing with him. She doesn't even want to talk to him unless she has to.

Korra thinks that, if things had gone differently, she'd come to like this new Tarrlok, though. He has a much looser personality than the uptight Noatak, due to losing more of his memory and being younger in the only clear thing he remembers, but the few flashes he has from before the disappearance are just enough to make him more serious at times, enough to balance his personality out. Perhaps it's just the painkillers he's been taking the past few days. It sounds strange, but he reminds her a bit of Bolin.

Maybe, in that alternate reality, she'd be friends with Noatak, too. Honestly, she doubts it.

The four of them trek back to the training area. Jinora occasionally trails back a little bit, making sure the brothers can actually handle the walk. After a few moments, Korra will hear her footsteps picking up again. Then they trail off. It irritates the hell out of Korra for some reason, so instead of waiting for any of them to catch up, she dashes back down to the rest of the path, listening gratefully as the footsteps fade into the background and disappear altogether.

By the time Jinora, Noatak, and Tarrlok finally make it to the training area, Korra has been sitting there for several minutes, using a short stick to doodle in the dirt. Korra's not an artist, and she knows it; the doodles are crap, and looking back over them, she has no idea what she was drawing in the first place. She looks up as she hears Jinora's light footsteps and the brothers' heavy ones approaching. Korra sweeps her palm a couple of times across the dirt, smearing the doodles, before she stands up to meet them. "About time you slowpokes showed up," she chides mockingly. "What took you so long? I was almost considering going back to the temple if you didn't get here soon."

"Well, we aren't all gifted with your super speed or burdened with your lack of patience, are we, Korra?" Tarrlok responds scathingly. Korra glares at him. She's almost sure that a glare is her constant expression around these two.

"Sit down and shut up, or I'll haul your ass back to the temple and make sure they lock the doors next time," Korra spits.

Tarrlok shrugs, unfazed. "You asked." Still, he and Noatak step aside, leaving Jinora standing next to Korra, and lower themselves to the ground on the sidelines. "If anyone shows up, you never saw either of us." Korra waves her hand dismissively.

Noatak glances at the scratches Korra made in the dirt, then picks up the stick Korra had discarded and starts sketching in the dirt as well. Tarrlok leans over his shoulder to inspect his work and whispers something in Noatak's ear. Noatak snaps back something short, but it must have been humorous because Korra can tell Tarrlok's holding back a laugh. They're acting so much like children, Korra has to remind herself that this is Equalist leader Amon and corrupt ex-councilman Tarrlok she's watching. It's so bizarre.

"Korra?" Jinora's voice breaks in to Korra's thoughts, jarring her back to reality.

"Hmm?"

Jinora has a mischievous spark in her eyes. "We never finished our competition," she reminds the Avatar.

"Oh." Korra remembers their bet, having been cut short when their audience showed up. "Right. Still up for it?"

"Of course," Jinora confirms as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Any day when someone else has to put up with my siblings is a happy day for me."

Korra vows to herself to wipe that smug look off Jinora's face. "Bring it on, little girl," she taunts, setting herself in a fighting stance. "If you've got it," she adds just to rattle Jinora. She can't tell if it works or not.

Jinora _does_ bring it on. The moment it appears Korra is ready, Jinora unleashes a flurry of air attacks. Korra doesn't see it coming, and every time she moves, the movement is used to either dodge the blast or block it. "Hey!" she calls to Jinora, "Could you calm it down a bit?"

"I thought our training before was child's play!" Jinora shouts back, not letting up on the blasts. "Are you trying to surrender and admit defeat?" she taunts.

"Never!" Korra denies. While Jinora's attacks aren't weak, they aren't particularly strong, either. They're just so quick, it's getting to be overwhelming. Korra starts throwing back punches of air in Jinora's general direction. She searches frantically for an opening, somewhere she can get a clear shot, but nothing appears. Her own attacks are proving futile—while they block Jinora's, none of them actually reach her.

One of Jinora's attacks aims high around Korra's shoulders. She ducks to avoid it and kicks her feet in an arc along the ground. The blast hits Jinora's feet, effectively knocking her off balance. Korra takes advantage of this momentary break in attacks, using all she's got to keep Jinora on the ground—not enough to hurt, but enough to hold her down. "Ready to give up yet?" Korra yells over the winds.

Jinora holds her hands up the best she can in her position. "All right!" she concedes. "You win! Just let me up!" Korra complies and halts her attacks, extending her hand to help Jinora stand. The other girl takes it gratefully, but immediately afterwards she sends a punch of air straight into Korra's gut. _"That's_ for holding me down." It's not particularly painful, but it's enough to leave Korra winded.

"Doesn't matter," Korra counters, her voice coming out as a wheeze. "I still won. Now you have to spend the rest of the day as Ikki's and Meelo's slave." She ends the sentence with a smug grin stupidly plastered on her face

Jinora shrugs. "I don't care. They're my younger siblings. They try and tell me to do stuff for them all the time." She turns to head back up to the temple. "I think that's enough training for today. You'd better get them—" she nods toward Noatak and Tarrlok, "—back up there before they're missed. Have fun with that." Korra watches her disappearing form, annoyance bubbling up inside her. Jinora was the one who'd invited them down to watch, not her!

She turns to the brothers anyways, and stares blankly at what she sees. "Did you two even pay attention to us?" she asks incredulously.

"No," Tarrlok admits bluntly. "We were busy."

_"__I_ was busy," Noatak corrects him immediately. "You were just hovering over my shoulder and distracting me."

"Same thing."

Korra snorts in near-amusement. _Children._

"Avatar Korra?" a voice calls from the direction of the path, and Korra turns to see Lo running down to meet her. Noatak is the first of the brothers to notice, and roughly shoves Tarrlok into the nearby bushes. Korra can hear him groan in pain and contempt, but only spares herself an eye roll. Lo comes to a halt in front of the Avatar. "Avatar Korra, have you seen either of our patients? They've disappeared from their room, and no one has any idea where they've gotten off to."

"No one knows?" Korra repeats, looking past the healer's shoulder and seeing Jinora's tiny silhouette near the temple. She shrugs. "I haven't seen them all day," she tells Lo. "I've been down here training all morning, so I'd know if they were anywhere around here. And obviously," she spreads her arms and waves them a bit, "they're not here."

Lo gives her a suspicious look, but doesn't push it. "Let me know if you see them, okay?" She turns without waiting for an answer and starts back up the path.

"Will do!" Korra calls after her. She waits a moment for the healer to be out of earshot, then turns toward the bush. "You two bastards owe me for this, you know that?"

Noatak raises himself to a standing position. "Noted," he agrees. He hauls Tarrlok to his feet and throws his brother's left arm around his shoulders. "Thank you, Korra. Until next time." He and Tarrlok exit past her, following the path up to the temple. As they pass her, Tarrlok raises the stump of his right arm in a sign of farewell.

Korra waves two fingers subconsciously. "There shouldn't _be_ a next time!" she objects stubbornly. Noatak pays her no heed.

When they're gone, Korra moves over to the bush to inspect Noatak's scribbles on the ground. She's amazed at what she sees: it's a near-perfect rendition of Korra and Jinora training earlier. Korra has no idea how he did it, but she can see the details on her clothing, the blasts of wind, and even the bits of dirt disturbed by their sparring session. It puts Korra's earlier doodle, whatever it may have been, to complete shame. Korra needs to go into town again soon and buy the man a sketchbook. Maybe it'll keep his mind off of her.

There's a note near the bottom left of the artwork with an arrow pointing to said doodles. Korra reads it, and almost reconsiders her idea to buy Noatak a sketchbook. _Freaking Tarrlok,_ she thinks sourly to herself. Eventually.

_Avatar Korra, your artwork is fucking terrible. –Tarrlok_

**AN: So I've got a feeling I'm making this story move too quickly. Any of you readers have a thought?**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you all for your reviews! I'm surprised this story has gotten as much attention as it has, to be honest :P I think I'm about as excited for this story as you readers, since unlike all the other fanfics I've tried writing (key word: tried) this one has no definite direction I'm taking it. I've got a basic plan for where I want to go, but other than that, it's pretty much writing as I come up with it.**

** : Yes, these early chapters are gonna be more lighthearted than the rest of the story. I am planning for it to get darker as we get farther in. I think around the time the brothers regain their memories (which won't be for a while yet) the story will take on a darker tone.**

**Red: Being a slight Amorralok shipper myself, I was almost tempted to take that route as well! But Amorra is my OTP, so I'm sticking with that. And I do post on Tumblr when I update, but I've only got 6 followers. Not a lot of people are bound to see it. Also, Amorra is a pretty obscure ship. That's why I'm surprised I've gotten this much attention. (Also, I'm not bothered by anonymous reviews :) )**

**Anonymous: Haha, they actually DO dine with the family in this chapter! It was supposed to happen last chapter, but I wanted to move it to this one because it was getting lengthy. It goes about as well as you'd expect. And if everything goes according to plan, Asami, Mako, and Bolin should be appearing in the next chapter.**

**Enjoy :)**

Korra does end up going through with her plan to get Noatak a sketchbook, and it can qualify as either one of the best decisions she's made in her life, or one of the worst. Noatak loves the damn thing—the moment she hands it to him, he disappears into his room without a word—not even a thank you—and Korra doesn't see him for the rest of the day. She doesn't even see him for the next few days. She's forever grateful about it.

The only downside is that, now that Noatak is busy doing Spirits-know-what, it leaves Tarrlok no one to pester. His target of choice? Korra.

Korra _does_ try to shoo him away, but after about seven or eight tries, she gives up and decides to let him follow her around. He knows he's just pissing her off, and exploits the fact for all its worth. She vows, once again, to slap him silly when he gets stronger.

Korra doesn't know when it will happen, but it will. Eventually.

* * *

"Why can't I bend?"

Korra looks up from the bowl of noodles she's eating. "Hmm?" she mumbles around the food.

Tarrlok actually looks concerned, and the look is a bit jarring to Korra—she hasn't seen him look concerned about anything in months. "I said, why can't I bend?" he repeats.

Korra swallows the noodles a little painfully. She doesn't want to have this conversation, so she shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe it had something to do with whatever happened to you and your ball-of-sunshine big brother?" Tarrlok glares at her, but she turns back to her noodles and continues eating. He seems to know that she's lying, but he doesn't push the issue any further.

"I wonder if Noatak can still bend," he says instead. Korra nearly chokes on her noodles. "When am I going to get that arm you all promised me?"

"As soon as you can go out into the ocean and fish out the old one," Korra snaps irritably.

* * *

"Korra, do you think you could help set the table?" Pema asks.

Korra pauses from her doodling. For once, Tarrlok isn't hovering over her shoulder criticizing everything she does, and she's trying to make the most of it. "Sure thing, Pema," she replies, following the Air Acolyte into the kitchen. "Where's everyone else?"

"I think they're outside doing some airbending practice," Pema responds.

"What about Tarrlok?"

Pema shrugs. "Not sure about him; I try to avoid him if I can."

"You and me both," Korra agrees. She pulls six cups out of the cupboard. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"Noodles and dumplings, with rolls and a side of rice." Pema pulls a boiling teapot off the stove. "Would you like tea or lychee juice, dear?"

Korra sets the cups down on the counter for Pema to pour the drinks. "I'll have lychee juice." Korra moves to another cupboard and opens it, pulling out six bowls and six small plates, and leaves to put them on the table at their usual seats.

When she returns to the kitchen, Pema is looking at her. "Have you considered inviting your friends over for a visit one of these days?" she questions.

Korra rolls her eyes. "You and Jinora seem dead-set on me hauling my friends over here for some reason. I've already told her—I'm keeping them as far away from here as I can while we have _Amon and Tarrlok_ staying here." She knows that, if her friends did show up, they wouldn't be exactly happy about the whole situation. And that's a severe understatement.

"They'll find out eventually," Pema reminds her. "I think it'd be good for you to have some friends your own age over every once in a while. It would help you get your mind off of… other things." She's trying to be evasive, but Korra knows exactly what—_who_—she's talking about.

"Well, stop worrying about it," Korra tells her. "Tarrlok practically follows me around every waking moment. I can hardly get him out of my personal space, never mind out of my mind." Korra realizes too late exactly how she worded that sentence, and sees by the look on Pema's face that the woman noticed, too. "You know what I mean."

Pema holds her hands up in mock surrender. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she objects, laughing. Korra shoots her a warning look, but Pema takes no notice. She hands Korra a bowl of noodles and a bowl of rice. "Help me carry these in?" she tries to change the subject. Korra drops it gratefully and carries the bowls to the table.

Pema follows her out with another bowl of noodles and a bowl of dumplings, handing them off to Korra when the Avatar puts down her own bowls, then disappears again into the kitchen. She returns with two cups of tea and a cup of lychee juice in her hands, which Korra carefully takes from her. As Pema returns to the kitchen, Korra sets the two cups of tea at one end of the table, where Tenzin and Pema sit, and the lychee juice to their right where Jinora sits. Korra meets Pema again at the door, taking three more cups of lychee juice from her as the woman disappears one more time into the kitchen to retrieve the rolls and their chopsticks. Two of the cups go across from Jinora's seat, where Ikki and Meelo sit, and the last one goes to Korra's seat at the opposite end of the table.

Once again, Pema comes through the door, this time carrying a bowl of rolls in one hand and chopsticks in the other. "I need to go find Tenzin and the kids. Can you finish setting the table?" she asks.

"No problem," Korra confirms, taking the bowl and chopsticks from Pema's hands. Pema nods in thanks and hurries out the door to search for her family.

She isn't even gone for two minutes before Korra hears footsteps approaching the door. "Back already?" Korra asks without looking up. "That didn't take long."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," a voice responds, and Korra's head snaps up. It's not Pema returning, but instead it's Tarrlok hovering in the doorway, answering her. Behind him, Korra can barely make out Noatak's shadow as well.

"Long time, no see, Mr. Artist," Korra snarks at Noatak. "I thought you'd still be curled up in your bedroom at this point."

"There is only so much one can draw in a room as small as that," Noatak responds, clearly unfazed. He steps forward, showing that he's _still_ got the damned sketchbook in his hands. "I thought I'd come in here and see if there was anything interesting." He quickly scans the room, and says nothing more. Both of them are wearing sleeveless white shirts, clearly showcasing the burns and scars on their arms. The light causes jagged shadows to be cast over their skins. It's abnormal.

"The food smells delicious, too," Tarrlok adds. "Perhaps we could join you for dinner tonight." It's not exactly a request, but it's not really a demand, either. Korra isn't really sure how to respond. Tarrlok takes the lack of response as approval and sits himself down to the right of Jinora's seat. Korra notices for the first time how his movements are subtly awkward, without half his right arm to balance him on the way down. Noatak, in turn, sits down next to Korra's seat and flips his sketchbook open to a blank page, pulls out a pencil, and starts sketching something.

Korra sighs irritably. "You two just live to torment me, don't you?"

Tarrlok responds with a smug smile. "It's what we do best." Noatak sniffs in what Korra takes as agreement.

Not feeling up for arguing with either of them, Korra simply shrugs and strolls to the kitchen, pulling out two more plates, two more bowls, two more sets of chopsticks, and two cups. "Tea or lychee juice?" she calls through the door.

"Tea for both," Tarrlok calls back. Korra complies and pours two more cups of tea for them. When Korra turns around, trying to balance all the dishes, Tarrlok is standing at the door. "Want some help?"

"You're so polite," Korra comments snidely, but hands him one of the stacks of dishes. For someone with only one hand, he balances it pretty well. She takes the cup of tea off the top of the stack.

"Just trying to be a decent guest," he remarks equally snidely with that same shit-eating grin plastered to his face.

Korra nods at the door. "If only that brother of yours could show as much respect as you do," she says loudly, making sure Noatak can hear her. She pauses for a moment before she hears something _thud_ against the door. She snickers immaturely along with Tarrlok.

"I'm sure he's trying to prove how grateful we both are in his own way," Tarrlok responds just as loudly, and they both stay silent before they hear another loud _thud_ on the door and both break out into wild laughter. Korra takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, before abruptly breaking off completely when someone calls her name. Tarrlok shuts up as well.

Korra practically falls through the door to the dining room. "Tenzin!" she exclaims, coming face-to-face with the airbending master. She quickly yet sloppily adjusts her balance to keep the cups of tea from spilling.

Tenzin is glaring at Noatak furiously. His eyes dart up to see Tarrlok standing behind the Avatar. "What are _they_ doing here?" he asks viciously, his voice almost coming out as a snarl. Korra blinks in shock—Tenzin _never_ snarls at anyone. He always keeps his cool.

"Tenzin, be polite," Pema scolds quietly.

"Hey, don't look at me," Korra defends herself. "They just showed up after Pema went to find you guys and decided to say for dinner."

Jinora actually has to grab the back of Meelo's robes to keep him from jumping across the table. "Let me at 'em!" he shrieks. "I'll get rid of 'em once and for all!" Noatak simply stares at the five-year-old, not entirely sure how to deal with this new predicament.

"Meelo, calm down," Jinora lectures calmly, the only one of the five who doesn't seem to be foaming at the mouth. "They're our guests; we should welcome them to the dinner table like all good hosts."

Even Pema seems to be uneasy at the tension. "Yes; come on, now, let's all sit down and have a _civilized_ dinner." She emphasizes the word _civilized_ and shoots a glare at Tenzin. The master airbender looks at her as if to ask, _What did I do?_

In the end, everyone ends up sitting down semi-peacefully in their regular seats. Ikki leans across the table to stare at Tarrlok. "What happened to your ponytails?" She sniffs loudly. "At least you don't smell like a lady anymore. You're still weird."

"And you're still precocious, I see," Tarrlok counters smoothly. Korra smirks to herself. So he remembers _that_ conversation.

Noatak spends a good portion of the meal with his face in his sketchbook, occasionally glancing up at the family and not even touching his food. Ikki and Meelo glare at Tarrlok the entire time. Tenzin and Pema glare at Noatak, who doesn't notice a thing. Jinora doesn't say a word, just keeps to herself and eats her noodles. Only Korra and Tarrlok speak, and nearly every word they say is pure banter. The tension in the air is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Korra can nearly see the sparks of fury flying off Tenzin's head and shoulders.

Korra throws her chopsticks down. "Okay, this is depressing," she snaps in annoyance. "You're all actually being quiet and forcing me to banter with _Tarrlok_ to make noise. Someone else say something!" Korra stares desperately at Tenzin. "How did airbending practice go today?"

Tenzin looks a little surprised. "We've made some progress," he responds. "Meelo won in a sparring match against Ikki."

"Did he now?" Korra turns her gaze on Meelo, who is still glaring at Tarrlok. "Nice job, Meelo!"

"Shh!" Meelo hisses. Lychee juice squirts out from between his teeth and lands on the table. "I'm busy! You'll blow my cover!"

Korra snorts. "What cover?"

"We're spying on the enemy!" He and Ikki continue to glare at Tarrlok.

Tarrlok takes a quick drink from his cup of tea. "You're not doing a very good job of it," he critiques.

Meelo sulks. "Thanks a lot, Korra!" he snips. "You've revealed me and my partner to our sworn enemy!" Ikki also sits back, crossing her arms and pouting.

"You can't spy on someone like that," Tarrlok tells the kid. "When you're spying on someone, you can't let them know you're there. You're just sitting right out in the open; I knew you were there the entire time."

"Don't put any ideas in his head," Tenzin snaps angrily.

Tarrlok turns to the airbender. "I was merely correcting what he was doing wrong," he defends. "You wouldn't want him going about life believing he was doing the right thing and be ridiculed for doing it wrong, would you?"

Korra can almost see a vein pulsing in Tenzin's forehead and quickly interjects. "Thank you, Tarrlok, for that wonderful information!" she says loudly. "Jinora, what did you do today?" Korra hopes she'll get better results from the calmest of the family.

For the most part, she does. "Ikki and I had a sparring session earlier." Her voice is strained and polite.

Korra works with what she gets. "Great! Who won?" She feels she already knows the answer to this question.

"I did," Jinora confirms Korra's suspicion.

"Good for you." Well, this is going spectacularly. "Ikki, you've gotta step up your game, both your siblings are beating you!"

"I'm _trying,"_ Ikki counters, "but there are just so many _distractions_ around I just can't pay any attention!"

"Perhaps if you would keep to yourself and out of other people's business, you could focus much better."

Korra turns to her right, staring in shock at Noatak. The man is looking up from his sketchbook at last and glaring straight at Ikki, his eyes demanding her to challenge him. To her amazement, Ikki actually backs down, staring sullenly at her plate. If there had been any lightheartedness in the air earlier, it's gone now.

"Stop scaring my daughter," Tenzin orders, his voice low and commanding. He even scares Korra a little bit—he sounds that dangerous.

"Excuse me," Noatak announces, standing abruptly. "I believe I had wrongly assumed that our hosts were welcoming of their guests. I apologize if I have intruded on an otherwise enjoyable family dinner. I'll retire to our room, now." He glances first at Tarrlok, then down at Korra, and gathers his untouched meal. "I'm to leave the dishes in the kitchen, yes?" Pema nods absently, and Noatak hastily exits the room without another word. Korra almost feels bad—even though he didn't speak, she had a feeling that, maybe, he _wanted_ to eat at the dinner table with them instead of crammed in his bedroom.

Tarrlok glowers at Tenzin. "Was that _really_ necessary?" he questions sourly. He doesn't wait for an answer. Instead, he stands, says, "Thank you, Korra, for allowing me and my brother to eat with your family, however short of an experience it may have been," nods to Tenzin and Pema, and follows Noatak from the room.

When he has disappeared from sight, Korra turns to Tenzin. "Are you happy now?" she snaps.

"Korra, I was—"

"No, I don't want to hear it," Korra denies, holding a hand up. "I may not like them, either, even _I_ know that was uncalled for." She stares down at her plate, not wanting to meet Tenzin's accusing gaze.

Tenzin sighs in defeat. "Very well," he concedes. The tension in the air is even thicker than before, and the silence is deafening. No one moves before Korra, who is the first to begin eating again. Jinora is the first to follow suit. Then Pema. The air is then filled with the sound of chopsticks hitting bowls and plates. No more words are spoken for the rest of the meal.

Unlike normal evenings, when everyone would stick around and talk even after they'd finished eating, Korra notices that, one by one, their party is dwindling. Meelo is the first to go, followed by Ikki soon after, muttering about _rude guests_ and _weird men._ Pema is the third, awkwardly gathering and stacking the empty plates, bowls, and cups and taking off in the direction of the kitchen. Jinora manages to stick around for a short time, but even she ends up retiring before long.

Korra and Tenzin are the only two remaining. "Are you happy with all this?" she asks again, this time sounding more tired than anything.

Tenzin sighs, sounding equally as tired. "I don't want you to spend so much time with them," he admits. "They'll end up being a bad influence on you."

"And what if they're not?" she counters.

"All the worse," he replies immediately. "You'll get too attached. You won't be able to handle them going to prison."

Brutal honesty, much? "What are you talking about? Of course I'll be able to handle it! In case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly the best of friends."

"Just…" Tenzin trails off for a moment. "…just be careful, okay?" He's pleading with her. It makes Korra uncomfortable.

Korra snorts. "I'm going to bed." She stands up and gathers her dishes. Without another word, she exits the room, leaving Tenzin to think about whatever it is he thinks about. She stops in the kitchen to drop her dishes off, but doesn't say a word to Pema, who watches with a bewildered expression on her face.

Naga greets Korra when the Avatar reaches her bedroom. The sun has just barely set, still casting some shadows on the wall, but Korra doesn't care. She feels so tired, she might be able to sleep for days. Before she can lay down, she notices a white piece of paper on her pillow, covered in lines and dark scratches. Korra picks it up and inspects it carefully, then feels a wave of amazement.

It's a drawing. A drawing of Korra, Tarrlok, and Tenzin's family at the dinner table. Korra feels the amazement swell—the picture looks almost like a photograph, that's how good it is. Korra lets her eyes drift over the picture, and notices a bit of script at the bottom. In the dim light, she can barely make out Noatak's signature, along with a short note:

_Your family is unbearable._

Korra allows herself to snort in amusement. She puts the picture on her bedside table, and doesn't bother changing out of her day clothes. She simply kicks off her boots, throws herself on the bed, and absently strokes Naga's head as she drifts off into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Oh my god you guys, I love you all :D Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm uploading this chapter pretty late tonight. I've caught a pretty bad cold and can't focus at all :( I tried.**

**Wicked Intentions: I have to say, the idea of Noatak being an artist actually comes from an Amorra fic I'm reading now, called The Castaway. It's really good, and it's actually what inspired this story as well! If you haven't read it yet, you should-it's under my favorites on my profile, go check it out! And I'm not at all discouraged by the smaller fanbase Amorra has-I'm actually surprised this fic is getting the attention it is, as I mentioned last chapter.**

**Red: Haha, thanks for the cookie! I love chocolate chip! *noms* The problem with that, though: I can't draw. At all. I'm trying, but I still suck at it. And none of my friends watch LOK, nevermind ship Amorra *forever crying* I was worried that I put too much Korra/Tarrlok in the last chapters. I imagine that, in a fic where both brothers survive the explosion, Korra and Tarrlok could potentially be really good friends. That's the route I'm hoping to take with this fic. And yes. Much bickering :P**

**Anonymous: Don't worry about getting too talkative! I love hearing what you guys have to say! I often find myself rambling, too. :) Once again, yes. Several quarrels. That's one of my favorite parts of this chapter, seeing the characters interact. And I do like Mako. I feel like his character has so much potential, but the writers haven't really done what they could with him. He's so much better in season three, though.**

**Sorry for my rambling. Enjoy :)**

The next time Korra finds Noatak, she has to leave the room at first to recompose herself. When she re-enters the room, she takes a good long look to let the image before her sink in before she moves to confront him. Noatak sits cross-legged on the floor with his back against the foot of the bed. A small cup of water sits in front of him, but most of the water is actually in the air; it seems like their guest has just remembered that he's a waterbender. "Really?" Korra asks incredulously. "You've been awake for two weeks and you're just _now_ remembering that you can waterbend?"

Noatak glances up at her. "Hello, Korra," he greets civilly. If Korra didn't know any better, she'd say he almost sounds _friendly._ "Apologies for not confronting you with this information sooner; I've been a little… preoccupied with a few things recently." His voice sounds a bit edgy, but Korra doesn't feel like questioning him.

Tarrlok is sitting up on his bed, watching his older brother on the floor. "How come he can still bend and I can't?" he enquires.

"You were in far worse condition than I was," Noatak reminds him. "Perhaps your lack of bending is a result of that."

"Then why haven't I gotten mine back yet when you have?" Tarrlok continues.

"Temporary bending loss?" Noatak suggests.

Korra blinks. "Is that even a thing?"

Noatak shrugs. "Perhaps. I've heard of stranger things." He doesn't elaborate. Korra lets the subject drop.

"Speaking of temporary things, when is that prosthetic arm going to show up, Korra?" Tarrlok asks curiously.

"It should get here within the next week," Korra informs him. "It sounds like they've done a good job with it, too."

"I hope so."

* * *

Korra is right—Tarrlok's metal prosthetic forearm arrives in six days. The arm looks like something out of a history book. Korra remembers reading about Aang's adventures and someone dubbed Combustion Man hired to kill them. He'd had a metal arm capable of working like a real arm: he could grab things, write with it, and other small functions. Korra wonders if Tarrlok's prosthetic will be as useful as Combustion Man's.

For the most part, it is. Despite lacking the fine motor skills of his biological arm, Tarrlok appears to be able to pick things up and point and such. The movements are a little jerky and out of control, but as time moves on, he gains more and more control over it. He also doesn't seem to know his own strength—he's broken at least two bowls and three cups by accident. Korra has no idea how the thing works. She doesn't really care to find out.

"Look on the bright side," she reminds him while he's practicing with it, "maybe now you can finally stand a chance against me when we arm wrestle." Tarrlok shoots her a nasty look, but Korra can hear Noatak snickering behind her. She turns to him. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"More than you will ever know," Noatak confirms. He really does like the arm more than Tarrlok does; it gives him something more complicated and interesting in that damn sketchbook of his.

* * *

Korra sits at the edge of the beach, her knees drawn up to her chest, watching the sun rise. The bay is very quiet this morning. There's practically no wind, just a slight breeze that is just cooling enough to settle Korra's nerves. The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore is extremely calming. Korra closes her eyes, allowing herself to drift off a little bit.

"Do you mind if I join you?" a deep, rusty voice asks from behind.

Korra opens her eyes again and turns, seeing Noatak standing about twenty feet away. She hadn't even heard him approach. Korra shrugs. "I don't care," she responds. "Not my beach." His barely audible footsteps move closer to her side, lowering himself gently to the ground. Korra rolls her eyes in exasperation when he pulls out the sketchbook. "You're never apart from that damn thing, are you?"

Noatak glances at her out of the corner of his eye. "Of course not," he confirms. "What if a situation arises and I need it for something?"

"What could _possibly_ happen—here of _all_ places—that would make you _need_ it?"

"You never know," he replies. He flips the book open, skimming over several pages filled with sketches and detailed drawings. Korra stares in amazement; those are _really_ good. When he gets to a blank page, Noatak pulls a pencil out of somewhere and starts sketching something.

Korra looks away. "Where's Tarrlok?" she asks curiously.

Noatak nods in the direction of the temple. "He is still asleep."

"And what are you doing up at this hour? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I could ask you the same question," he counters.

Korra pauses. "I was thinking." It's a flimsy excuse and she knows it. Noatak seems to know it, too, but he doesn't ask any more. Korra looks at the water and concentrates, twirling her right hand a bit. A steady stream of water rises from the surface, catching the rosy light of the sun and scattering it. She flicks her wrist slightly, forming the water into a tiny sphere, and beckons it toward her. At it reaches above her hand, Korra freezes it into a ball of ice, causing it to drop from the air and land in her open palm. She holds it close to her face, inspecting it.

The sphere melts suddenly, flooding Korra with a wave of water. She utters a noise that sounds like something between a squeak and a shriek and throws herself upwards, holding her arms out to shake them off. The ice cold water puddles at her feet, soaking her boots. Still sitting on the ground, Noatak smirks and purposely doesn't look up. "Did you—" Korra sputters. "Did you just—did you _really_ just do that?!"

Noatak looks at her. "Why, I'm offended, young Avatar," he denies. "How could you think I would do such a thing?"

"You little…" Korra cuts herself off and rips the sketchbook from Noatak's hands. He reaches for it, but Korra holds it out of his reach and swings her arm around, bending a stream of water directly at his face. The force of the blast is enough to knock him on his side, and while he's occupied, Korra takes off running in the other direction along the beach, still with the sketchbook in hand.

Korra runs for a long way before a tendril of water snakes around her ankle and trips her, sending her falling face down on the sandy ground. Before she can get up, the sketchbook is ripped from her grip, and Korra sees Noatak dashing away. She scrambles to her feet. "Get back here, you little asshole!" Korra screams after him before sprinting after him, pulling water from the bay and launching it at him.

He blocks the blow easily, launching another stream right back at her. "You have to _catch_ me first, Korra!" he challenges. Korra dodges the water, but he's already darting away. Damn, for a man of his body shape, he sure moves fast.

"Oh, don't you try me!" Korra warns, bringing more water to her hands. "You won't like the end of it!" She fires quick shots of water, hoping to catch him off guard or stun him. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work. Korra then tries what he'd used to bring her down and shoots a tendril of water, wrapping it firmly around his waist and giving it a fierce yank for good measure. Korra assumes that, if he was in good health, it would not have brought him down. It his current state, however, he comes tumbling to his knees, as far from his usual grace as he could get. "Ha!" Korra shouts at him, catching up and slowing to a stop by his side. "You wanted me to catch you? Did you think I wouldn't be able to? Well, I _did!"_ Korra does a small victory dance, hopping around Noatak's downed form.

"Korra?" a voice echoes in the still dawn air, and Korra pauses immediately. She recognizes the voice, but it's not one she'd expected to hear anytime soon.

"Shit," Korra mutters under her breath. "Shit, shit, _shit._"

Noatak stares up at her, confused. "Do you know who that is?"

Korra glances back at him. "Yeah, I know who it is," she confirms reluctantly, "but I want him nowhere near this island for as long as possible." Noatak still looks confused, but Korra starts running back up the beach in the direction of the voice.

As she reaches the top of the slope, three figures come into view. Korra raises her arm in greeting. "Hey, guys!" she calls.

"Korra!" Mako repeats happily, jogging forward to meet her in a hug. He doesn't seem to care that she's soaking wet and freezing cold. Instead, he takes her face in his hands and kisses her enthusiastically. Korra kisses him back happily, trying not to think. It doesn't last long before he pulls away and looks her in the eye. "We haven't seen you in months! What's been going on?"

_"__Korra!"_ Korra can't respond to Mako's question before she's tackled to the ground in a hug by Bolin. "Oh my gosh, Korra, we've missed you so much! I've been trying to get Mako to visit you for the past month, but he's always been like, _No, we've gotta give her time and let her invite us on her own time._"

"He's so polite," Korra snarks, slightly out of breath. "Bolin, I love your hugs, but I _would_ like to breathe, if that isn't too much to ask." Bolin makes a noise of surprise and indignation before heaving himself to his feet, extending a hand to help her up. Korra gratefully takes it.

While their hands are still connected, Pabu peeks out of Bolin's shirt and scuttles along their arms, coming to rest on Korra's shoulders and wrapping around her neck loosely. He's making a crooning noise that reminds Korra of purring. Bolin laughs. "Even Pabu's glad we can hang out again! He missed you, too!"

"Aww," Korra coos, stroking Pabu's soft head. "Well, I missed him, too."

"What, no love for your best girl friend?" Korra glances at Asami, whose arms are stretched wide for a hug.

Korra facepalms. "How could I forget my best friend?" She barrels into Asami, nearly knocking the thinner girl over. "How's the new head of Future Industries doing nowadays?"

Asami steps from the hug, smiling and looking Korra in the eye. "We started out with a bit of a rough patch," she admits. "We lost a bit of business cred after… everything."

"Ah," Korra murmurs, understanding. "But you got back on your feet after that?"

Asami nods. "Yeah, we're back up and running now, pretty smoothly if I must say so." She looks so proud of herself. Korra feels proud of her, too. She really deserves it.

"If you don't mind me asking," Mako breaks in, "why are you soaking wet, Korra? You must be freezing!"

"I'm from the Water Tribe, I don't freeze," Korra objects stubbornly. "And I was in the middle of a… sparring session." She hesitates, not really wanting to bring the subject up.

Mako doesn't seem to notice. "Who're you sparring with? It seems a little early for any of Tenzin's kids to be awake yet."

"What are _you three_ even doing here?" Korra evades, scanning them. "Aren't you here a little early yourselves?"

Bolin sulks slightly. "We wanted to get here really early to surprise you," he tells her, "but you're already awake so…" He trails off, fiddling with his fingers awkwardly.

"You still surprised me, in case you didn't realize," Korra reminds him.

"Yeah, but it wasn't the same."

Mako is peering at something over Korra's shoulder. "Who is that, Korra?" he asks skeptically. Korra feels her heart sink several feet. It's somewhere down near her feet. Noatak steps up to stand by Korra's side, but doesn't speak. He simply glances at Korra out of the corner of his eye, keeping his cool. Korra returns the look regretfully. This is _not_ going to end well. Mako's expression flickers between recognition and confusion; he's starting to catch on.

Korra sighs. There's no point in delaying the inevitable. "This is Asami, Bolin, and my boyfriend Mako," Korra introduces, gesturing to each of her friends as she lists them off. "Guys, this is Noatak."

None of them speaks. Korra feels the tension multiply tenfold.

Trying to break the awkwardness, Noatak extends his hand politely. "A pleasure to meet you," he greets, his voice smooth and rusty as always. None of them take it.

_"__You,"_ Mako snarls lowly. Korra glances at Noatak, but is surprised to see him keeping himself impressively calm. He stares down Mako with a blank face while the firebender sounds almost ready to _murder_ him. "You lying, selfish _bastard_—"

"Okay!" Korra interjects loudly, stepping between the men. "Okay, _enough._ Can I talk to you three for a second?" She shoots Noatak a look. _"Alone?"_ she emphasizes desperately. Noatak takes the hint, nods, and quickly excuses himself. Korra waits for him to be out of earshot before turning back to Mako. "What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was _that?!"_ Mako counters furiously. "What in Spirits' name is _he_ doing here?"

"…who is he?" Bolin interjects awkwardly. "The name sounds familiar… is he a friend of yours, Korra?" Mako actually scoffs at that. Korra blinks at him in confusion before she remembers that, of the four of them, Bolin and Asami had never seen Amon's face under the mask. Mako had been the only one there with her that day. As a result, Asami and Bolin have no idea what Noatak looks like. With the additional scars, she admits to herself that, even if they had seen him, they still probably wouldn't have recognized him. Mako didn't, at least.

Korra opens her mouth to respond, but Mako beats her to the punch. "Bolin, that's _Amon."_

"What?!" Bolin exclaims. He throws his hands up to cover his face, his eyes peeking out from between is splayed fingers. "I thought he and Tarrlok were, you know…_ dead."_

"I thought so too," Korra explains, "but when they showed up here nearly dead anyways—"

"Wait a minute," Mako interrupts. "Are you implying that _Tarrlok_ is here too?" Korra quickly snaps her mouth shut; she's said too much. "He is, isn't he?" Mako throws his arms up into the air. "Korra, do you have _any_ idea what you're getting yourself into?"

"Hold up there, Mako," Korra snaps. "Do you really think I want them here anymore than you do? They're just staying here while they heal. When they're better, they're going straight to trial."

"They should be in prison right now!" Mako objects. "I'd have thought you'd be the one kicking their asses in there the moment they show up! They must've been here for weeks by now!"

Bolin blinks in surprise. "Korra, is that why you haven't been talking to us recently?" he asks quietly, carefully. "Because you've got _the enemy_ here?" His voice is so unlike the Bolin she knows. It freaks her out.

"I'll bet it is," Mako confirms for him. "Amon seems to be up and moving around. You said they're here 'til they heal. Well, he doesn't look much worse for wear. So what are they still doing here?"

Korra glares at him. "They're healing in a different way!"

"In what way, Korra? Enlighten me, please. I'd _love_ to know."

"I mean, they're not exactly right in the head at the moment."

Mako laughs bitterly. "I think we've known that for a while now, Korra!"

Korra groans in irritation. "I mean they can't remember anything, Mako! Happy now?"

Mako pauses, simply staring at her. His face goes completely blank. "What do you mean, they can't remember anything?" he questions.

"I mean exactly what I said. They don't remember a single thing about the Equalists. In Tarrlok's case, even more. It's not exactly a fair trial if they can't defend themselves for crimes they don't remember committing."

Bolin snorts. "Wouldn't you have had them taken in anyways?" he asks. "Seems like the 'Korra' thing to do in this situation." Korra glares at him. He promptly shuts up.

"If I may place my opinion," Asami interjects at last, "I think Korra's doing the right thing."

Korra stares at her, dumbstruck. "You do?" she mumbles dumbly.

Asami nods. "Bringing them to trial would be meaningless. You're right, it wouldn't be fair. An unfair trial is declared null and void, even in cases as extreme as this. And if what you say is true, that they really _can't_ remember anything, then the entire thing would just be one big, messy waste of time. No one would want to go through all that again, would they?" Korra makes a mental note to give Asami the biggest hug of her life later. It helps occasionally to have a friend that knows so much about business and trials and such.

"You see?" Korra says, gesturing to Asami. "Asami's right. We can't legally do anything until they regain their memories. Whenever that may be," she adds on to the end.

Mako still looks skeptical. "Does Chief Beifong know anything about this?"

"Of course not," Korra snaps. "And we plan to keep it that way for now. No one breathe a word of this to anyone, you hear?" She glares at all three of them. "If I hear anything about this in the newspaper or on the radio, there'll be hell to pay, mark my words."

Bolin holds his hands up in surrender. "I won't tell anyone about this. You have my word, Korra," he pledges.

"Mine, too," Asami agrees, nodding.

Korra smiles at her friends, then turns to her boyfriend. Mako still looks stubborn. "What about you, Mako?" she asks quietly. "Will you keep this a secret? For me?" She pulls her puppy-dog eyes, the ones she uses to get Mako to do whatever she wants him to do.

Mako groans in defeat. "Fine," he concedes in the end, crossing his arms stubbornly. "I'll keep your little secret. But don't expect me to be best friends with those two," he reminds her quickly. "I'm not happy about any of this."

Korra grins anyways. "That's all I needed to hear." She tries to give him a hug, and at first he doesn't unfold and holds his statuesque stubbornness, but in the end, he caves and wraps his arms around her shoulders. Korra leans into his warmth, sighing in relief, and trying to get her mind off of everything else.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Oh my god, I'm so sorry! D: This only took forever to write. I didn't want to have such a big gap between chapters. I hope you'll forgive me.**

**Enjoy :)**

"So what's this all about?" Korra questions. The four teens step off the ferry from Air Temple Island, glad to be on solid ground again after the twenty minute ferry ride.

Bolin bounces around in a circle. "We're taking you out for a day on the town!" he exclaims, practically bursting with excitement. "I mean, you had to get out of that stuffy temple _sometime_ and away from you-know-who." He pauses and does a double-take as Korra shoots him a look. "I didn't mean it like that! I just thought you could maybe spend some time with your friends!"

"What makes you think they're not my friends?" Korra asks him.

Korra can see Bolin's mind backtracking again. "No! No, no, that's not what I meant! I just thought, y'know, that since they're war criminals and all, and considering everything they've done…" He trails off, trying to think of something to say that won't upset Korra any more.

"Bolin, you're just digging your own grave," Mako tells him. "You should stop now."

Bolin slumps. "You're right." He looks shyly up at Korra. "Are you _really_ friends with those guys?"

"Of course not," Korra admits. "It's just fun messing with people every once in a while." Maybe she _has_ been spending too much time with Noatak. She's starting to pick up on his methods of deception.

"…Oh," Bolin says quietly. He straightens himself back up. "Okay, then." There's a beat of awkward silence before Bolin's giant grin is back on his face. "Well, what're we all standing around here for? Let's go!" He spins around and takes off running in the other direction, not bothering to check and see if his friends are following or keeping up.

Asami laughs. "We should probably go after him and keep him from causing any accidents." She waves at Korra and Mako, then takes off in a sprint after Bolin.

"Aww, you're no fun!" Korra yells after her, chuckling softly to herself. If Asami heard her, she makes no indication of it. Korra turns back to Mako, still smiling, but pauses when she catches the firebender staring at her strangely. "What?"

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yelling after Asami?" Korra knows exactly what he's talking about, but she doesn't want to talk about it.

Mako responds with a glare. "That whole thing with Bolin," he clarifies tightly.

"What, that? That was a joke!" Korra defends. "What's wrong with a little joke now and then?"

"It wasn't funny."

"Spirits, Mako," Korra growls angrily. "It was just a joke. Get over it."

Mako opens his mouth and closes it again. Instead of arguing, though, he changes the subject. "You want a joke?" he asks slyly. "Go ask Asami about that General Iroh guy. _That's_ a joke."

"I'll keep that in mind," Korra replies with a smirk on her face. "Come on, let's go. We're not getting anything done while we're standing here chatting." Korra grabs Mako's hand before he can say another word and drags him after her.

Bolin and Asami are waiting for them when Korra and Mako finally catch up. Bolin is panting heavily from his sprint. "About time you two slowpokes showed up," Asami teases. "I'd almost thought that you two would head off on your own." The word _date_ is implied, but neither Asami nor Korra feels like saying it out loud.

"Pfft." Korra waves her hand dismissively and rolls her eyes. "What, us? Why, we would _never!"_ Asami looks skeptical, but teasingly so.

"Come on," Asami changes the subject, "we should probably go find somewhere to eat, before it gets too busy."

"What?" Korra scoffs. "We just got here! I've been stuck on the Island for _months;_ let's go do something fun!"

Mako shoots her an amused look. "It _is_ breakfast time, Korra," he reminds her.

Korra crosses her arms and pouts. "You guys are no fun."

"Yeah, we're totally ruining your life," Bolin teases. "You're just downright _miserable_ right now, aren't you?" Korra snorts and glares at him, sulking.

"Well, if you _insist_..." Korra sighs, "...then we're going to Narook's." It's the first place that comes to mind, but Korra doesn't care; it's been too long since she's had anything authentic Water Tribe.

Bolin punches his fist into the air gleefully. "Yes! I love Narook's!" He takes off in a sprint again without another word. Asami heaves a sigh at the though of having to chase the earthbender down again.

Korra rubs Asami's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry; Mako and I'll catch up with him this time." Asami smiles gratefully at the offer.

"Wait, what?" Mako stutters. Korra doesn't respond and just grabs his wrist again, dragging him along. She can almost see and hear his annoyed aura.

She glances over her shoulder at Asami's shrinking shape. "See you at the restaurant!" Korra calls, waving her free hand in farewell. Asami waves back and starts to follow at a slower pace. Korra can tell that she's laughing.

Mako and Korra don't catch up with Bolin until they reach Narook's, and Korra wonders how the earthbender is so energetic this early in the morning. Bolin has all but collapsed on the ground by the door in a panting mess, wheezing and choking on nothing. He hazily lifts his arm in a greeting wave, but the hand flops back down to the ground immediately, too tired to keep it up. Korra laughs breathily, slowing to a stop in front of Bolin. "Remind me to never let you take off like that ever again," Korra snips lightly.

"Agreed," Bolin wheezes. The word is followed by heavy hacking, and Mako has to kneel down and sit his brother upright, slapping him heavily on the back. Bolin coughs up a ball of spit and mucus. "Thanks, bro," he murmurs quietly and gratefully.

_"Gross,_" Korra sneers, hopping backwards to avoid the sticky substance. "We're just about to eat _breakfast,_ thank you very much." She hopes that, in his dazed state, that Bolin can tell that she's joking.

A mischievous glint finds its way into Bolin's green eyes. Korra almost feels relieved. "Well, here's your appetizer," he snarks.

"Spirits, Bolin," Mako lectures, but he's got that same light in his eyes. Korra smiles; it's great to see her friends so happy.

Asami comes up behind Korra a few minutes later, and Bolin, still on the ground, stares over Korra's shoulder. "Well, you only took three years to show up. What kept you?"

_"I_ have self control," Asami responds coolly. "Something that _you_ seem to lack."

Bolin nods in agreement. "You have a valid point."

Korra can start to hear the hustle and bustle of city life rising to awareness. "We should head in, if we want a table before the crowds get here," she tells the small group. Mako nods and rises from the ground, extending his hand to heave Bolin up after him. Once the earthbender is steady on his feet again, the four teenagers enter the restaurant. Korra takes a deep breath and sighs. "It's been too long since I've had any Water Tribe food."

"You were just back home a few weeks ago," Bolin reminds her, sounding confused. The four of them choose a table and seat themselves, taking some menus on their way. Mako sits against the wall next to Korra, while Asami and Bolin sit across from them.

"A few _months,_" Korra corrects him.

Asami blinks in surprise. "It's been that long?" she asks. "It only feels like a few weeks."

"Well, at least you guys had stuff to do; all _I_ got to do was look after a couple of unconscious terrorists. Have you ever tried that? It's _not_ fun."

"You could have _called_ one of us," Mako tells her. "We would've been more than happy to get you off the Island."

"Tenzin didn't want me leaving," Korra groans irritably, her temper rising. "Especially after they woke up. He wanted me to see if I could jog their memories. It just ended in a bunch of wasted hours!"

"Korra, calm down," Asami says calmly. "We're here to have fun; let's keep it that way."

Korra is still fuming, but she takes a deep breath, sighs, and lets her shoulders slump. "Sorry. You're right." She picks her menu up off of the table and scans it, not really paying attention to the words.

After a few moments of silence and staring at anything but each other, a voice speaks from over them. "Good morning. Welcome to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. I'll be your waiter this morning." The voice sounds bored, but Korra can recognize the deep baritone.

Her head darts up. _"Tahno?"_

Bolin makes a noise of shock and backs into the wall as much as he can. It doesn't really work, so he leans across the table closer to Mako. "What's _he_ doing here?" he not-whispers.

"Well, if it isn't my former rivals," Tahno sneers. "I almost didn't recognize you not getting blasted off the ring." He glares at Korra. "And how are you this fine morning, _Uh-vatar?"_

"Shut up, Tahno," Korra snaps.

"Touchy, touchy," Tahno responds, but complies. "Are you ready to order?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Korra snips.

The four teens place their orders, and Korra can tell that Tahno doesn't really care about his job. The minute that the former waterbender is out of earshot, Bolin leans across the table. "Man, his life _really_ went downhill after that whole thing with Amon, didn't it?" he hisses.

"It's kind of pathetic," Mako agrees.

"Pro-Bending was his entire life," Asami reminds them. "Losing his bending must've seemed like he lost all sense of purpose."

Korra nods. "He was so broken last time I saw him." She remembers seeing Tahno at the police headquarters, depressed and miserable over his loss of bending. "Honestly, I'm surprised he's come this far."

"Hey, maybe you could give him his bending back, like you did with Lin," Mako drawls. "Then he can go back to his happy-go-lucky life as a cheater again." The sarcasm is thick on his voice, but the sentence gets Korra thinking. Mako seems to notice, and his eyes widen. "Korra, you're not really considering it, are you?"

Korra shrugs. "Why not? You see how ridiculous he is right now." She gestures toward Tahno, but pauses and snaps her hand back when she notices him looking at them. She can't tell if he heard anything they said, but Korra tells herself he didn't. She lowers her voice. "And it's not like he's _evil."_

"He's just a bad person," Bolin counters nervously. He looks at Korra curiously. "What's with you, Korra? You're usually not this friendly."

"Hey!" Korra snaps, sounding offended.

Bolin backs off into the seat and raises his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant... you seem to be a lot more..." he searches for the right word, "...more _lenient."_

Korra blinks in surprise. She wasn't expecting that. "Am I really?" she asks, scanning her friends' faces. "Well, I blame it on having to deal with two amnesiac criminals. I can't exactly hold them responsible for crimes they don't remember. I guess it's carrying over here." She shrugs absently.

Mako snorts in amusement. "Who are you and what have you done with Korra?"

"I'm serious!" Tahno appears at their table again, this time holding a tray of bowls. His mouth opens to say something-probably some snarky comment-and Korra glares at him. "_You_ keep your mouth shut," she snaps. Tahno's jaw immediately snaps shut, an audible click when his teeth click together. He doesn't linger, just hands the correct bowls to the appropriate customer. He nods courteously with a quiet _Enjoy your meal_ and quickly steps away. Korra watches him go, curious at his sudden change in mood.

Korra turns back as Asami takes a sip from her drink, and an idea pops back in her head. "Changing the subject, hey, Asami! What's this I hear about you and that General Iroh guy?"

Asami sputters on her drink, and Korra has to keep back a cackle at the clumsiness. "Wh-what?!" Asami stammers, trying and failing to wipe spilled juice off her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she denies. "No idea at all."

Korra grins slyly. She shoots a look at Mako, who wears a similar expression on his face. Asami notices and glares ferociously at Mako. "You _traitor,"_ she snarls. Korra doesn't remember ever hearing her friend sound so vicious. "How _dare_ you tell her-I trusted you!" Bolin actually has to hold her shoulders down to keep her from leaping across the table and strangling Mako there and then.

Mako leans into Korra, feigning innocence. "Who, me? I would _never_ lie to my girlfriend."

Well, _that_ wasn't the right way to word that sentence. The implications are lost on neither Asami nor Korra, and the former immediately stops struggling against Bolin's hold and sits back on the bench silently. Mako leans away from Korra again, straightening himself out. He's realized just what he said, and Korra can see the slight horror cross his face. "Asami, I didn't mean-" he tries.

Asami cuts him off. "Of course, Mako," she says curtly. "I understand perfectly." She adjusts her hair back into position and turns her attention to Korra. "It's nothing, really," she responds, and Korra almost forgets the question she'd asked. She knows Asami's covering something up. That reaction was too strong to just be _nothing_. But Korra doesn't say anything more and drops the subject, allowing silence to fall over them. It's not a comfortable silence, either; it's the kind of silence that falls when there's still something to say but no one's willing to say it.

Korra sighs heavily. "Well, this outing is going great," she says too cheerily. No one responds or even looks up, and her shoulders slump. "I'm starting to think that Tahno would be better company than you guys." Still nothing. This seems awfully familiar.

"What does?" Bolin asks. Korra glances at him, confused, before she realizes that she must've been thinking out loud. She dips one of her chopsticks into her tea and starts absently doodling on a napkin.

"This happened last week at the Island," Korra tells him. "Except, instead of you guys, it was Tarrlok and Noatak." Next to her, Mako sniffs in contempt, but doesn't say anything.

Bolin, however, does. "Why do you call him that?"

"Call who what?" Korra asks.

"Call Amon... that." Bolin waves his hand vaguely. So specific.

"Noatak?" Korra clarifies. "Why do I call Amon Noatak?" Bolin nods in confirmation. "Because that's his name. His _real_ name."

"It sounds odd," Bolin says bluntly. He shrugs and goes back to his noodles.

Korra stares at him. "It _is_ his real name," she repeats. Even _she_ has no idea why she still calls him Noatak, even if she isn't speaking to him. She knows that, in the long run, she shouldn't. Giving him a name gives him an identity, a personality. Someone to bond with. Someone to befriend. Eventually, that someone would be put in prison, and then where would she be? _Left alone in the dust, that's where._

"Still weird," Bolin enforces, then goes back to his noodles. Korra sighs and leans back in her seat, not touching her food again. No one says anything for the rest of the meal, preferring to eat in awkward silence over angering each other further.

After finishing his bowl, Mako leans over Korra's shoulder and peers at her napkin. "What're you doing?" he asks, his voice still tense but curious.

Korra stares down at the picture. "Don't know," she responds with a shrug. She _does_ know, though: the doodle looks a bit like Noatak, attentively leaning over his sketchbook and drawing something. The beginning of another doodle is to the left; Korra thinks it must be Tarrlok, or would be. For once, Korra's glad she's a crappy artist. Mako seemingly can't really tell what the scribbles are supposed to be. Mako keeps staring at the lines, then backs off again.

Bolin leans over and looks at the picture, too. "You should take some art lessons," he suggests. "You might be terrible right now, but I think you've got potential." Leave it to Bolin to be blunt like that.

Korra gives a slight grin. "I do try." Being completely honest, Korra _does_ think she's improved in the past few weeks. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Enough that Tarrlok doesn't leave some stupid note about how terrible she is when he finds one of her doodles.

"I didn't know you liked to draw," Asami says kindly, also inspecting the picture.

"Not many people do." Korra dips her chopstick in her tea again-the drink has long since gone cold, not good for drinking anymore-and goes back to her picture.

Tahno reappears again, this time with their bill. As Mako and Asami argue about who gets to pay, Tahno glances down at Korra's sketches. "Your artwork is fucking terrible," he criticizes.

"Why, thank you," Korra drawls sarcastically. "So I've heard. I'm sure you would do _so_ much better." Tahno glares at her again but doesn't respond. Korra glances at Mako and Asami and rolls her eyes. "Okay, here's what you'll do: Mako, you can pay for yours and mine. Asami, you pay for yours and Bolin's. Sound good?" Neither of them seem happy about it, but they comply and sort out their respective payments. Korra hands the yuans to Tahno. "Keep the change."

Tahno takes the money. "I hope you enjoyed your meal," he says tersely, and heads back to the front desk.

"Thanks for that," Bolin says, having stayed out of the squabble.

Korra smiles. "Avater business, it's what I do. Solving problems and keeping the peace. Ready to go?"

Mako nods. "Whenever you are." Korra slides out of the booth and stands, and her friends follow suit. Before they leave, however, Korra lingers back and hesitates. She snatches an actual pen from the front desk and a loose piece of paper and scribbles a quick note down. She hopes Tahno understands what it means. She'd be surprised if he didn't.

_I'll think about it. -Korra_

**AN: Enter Tahno. He'll be showing up again.**


End file.
